This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in. These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD

What makes Facebook or Twitter examples of social media? What is social media?

"Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as 'a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.'" (Wikipedia).

So, Web 2.0 has something to do with social media. What is Web 2.0?

"The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies" (Wikipedia)

So, if this is Web 2.0, what was Web 1.0?

How did social media develop/evolve? What is the short history of social media?

If you are interested, there was also a 2010/11 U.S. TV series based on the film (Wikipedia | IMDB)
If you are interested, see the full first season free on Hulu.com.

Mr. Baseball is another film that I sometimes use to illustrate the stages of culture shock. Just comparing the two trailers, notice any similarities between the two films? See the stages of cultural adaptation?

So, according the previous post, technologies evolve. New ones are created and some old ones go extinct. Or do they go extinct?

Focusing specifically on media technologies, what new media tech has evolved recently? Is there a new species of media tech? It could be argued that "the third screen" is a new species. Martin writes about it in his book, The Third Screen: Marketing to Your Customers in a World Gone Mobile. What is the third screen and how has it evolved? And, what does it have to do with your future? What do you see evolving in the future? Do you see a fourth screen? No screen? What is the connection between your future and the future of media tech?

Previous posts have offered theories for how technologies come to be and develop over time. We've discussed, for example, Winston's model and we've discussed the Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations. We now turn to our last theory -- technological evolution.

This theory is based on the biological theory of evolution. One of the best explanations of biological evolution and the mechanism that drives evolution is found in Carl Sagan's Cosmos video series which was based on the book Cosmos. In the following video Sagan describes the process of artificial selection. As you are watching this clip from Cosmos, be sure to identify and be able to explain the mechanism that drives evolution. Does this mechanism explain technological evolution? Do technologies evolve?

Now take those basic ideas of biological evolution and see how they apply to technological evolution. What do Kelly and Blackmore add to this theoretical perspective?

First, "Kevin Kelly on how technology evolves"
(You may want to start the Kelly video at about 8:20.)

The cultural adjustment is not finished once an individual leaves a new cultural environment. Depending on the degree to which the new cultural environment has effected the individual, the individual may have to readjust to their home environment. The overall process is not just the U-shaped curve seen in a previous post, but more a W-shaped curve showing the return and adjustment at home.

Ever traveled into a new culture, spent some time there, and then returned home and had to readjust? Can you ever go home again? Can you step in the same river twice?

When an individual enters a new cultural environment they may "suffer" to some degree culture shock.

Is it helpful to think of culture shock as a "disease" or to see it in a more positive light as a growth phase?

Have you experienced culture shock?

This is a clip that I edited and posted on YouTube. I use this clip in my Intercultural Communication course to introduce students to culture shock.

What is culture shock?What are the "symptoms" of culture shock?How do you lessen culture shock? What is active and passive coping?

The instructional video that this clip comes from appears to be no longer available for purchase. If you can find a copy available in a library, I'd recommend it. Berry's comments are especially insightful. The video was titled "World Within Reach."

As an individual moves into a new cultural environment (a new country, a new city, a new school, etc.), depending on the degree of cultural difference, the individual generally goes through certain stages.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Somebody who edits photos is a photo doctor. A photo doctor diagnoses a photo and then prescribes a treatment for a photo disease.

For example, diagnose the photo to the right. What's the problem with it? What photo disease does it have?

It is underexposed. Is that your diagnosis? In your favorite photo editing software, how would you treat that disease?

A medical doctor uses a variety of tools to treat medical problems (e.g., a scalpel). As a photo doctor, what tools would you use?

As you begin your internship as a new photo doctor, I'd suggest you start with a small set of "diseases" that you can diagnose (recognize) and treat (fix) and a small set of tools to learn how to use. As you progress as a photo doctor, become an expert in treating more diseases and learn how to use additional tools.

I'd suggest you start with a set of photo diseases like below and learn the 2-5 general steps that are usually needed to treat the disease.

For steps on how to treat the photo disease listed above and many more, see Digital Photo Doctor. The book takes a similar metaphorical approach. Check out the book. You should be able to get it for $5 or less.

Of course, you could also do a YouTube search for helpful photo editing tutorials that deal with the disease you want to treat.

As a beginning photo doctor, you should also start learning how to use a small set of of photo editing tools and techniques. Here are some basic photo doctor tools and techniques that you'd need to treat the previously listed photo diseases.

When learning how to treat the diseases and how to use the tools, I'd recommend that you learn how to use the tools at a general level so that you can move from one photo editing software to another. Don't get to caught up in the key-strokes used in specific software (e.g., press Shft+Ctrl+U to desaturate in Photoshop).

Speaking of photo editing software, I'd recommend GIMP, a free photo editing software package that you download to your computer (see info video). I'd also recommend Pixlr.com, a free, powerful, photo-editing site that allows you to edit photos right within your browser. Go to Pixlr.com right now and try some the things discussed above.

As for free photo editing apps, I'd recommend Pixlr Express (Apple | Android), Photoshop Express (Apple | Android), Aviary (Apple | Android) and Snapseed (Apple | Android). If I had to choose just one app, it would be Pixlr Express. I like the number and type of editing tools. However, I'm starting to warm up to Snapseed. With Snapseed I especially like slide user interface and the "Selective Adjustment" tool which allows for some dodging and burning. What's dodging and burning, again? See above.

Do recognize the limitation of photo editing apps. The apps do not even come close to all that photo editing software can do on a desktop or laptop.

Cosmetic Photo Surgery

The above discussion may leave the impression that the only thing you can do with photo editing tools is fix or treat photo diseases or problems (e.g., underexposure). However, photo editing tools are not just used to treat a disease, but can also be used to “beautify” or modify the photo You could think of this a cosmetic photo surgery. You are not really fixing a problem with the photo, you are adding to it.

You could turn a color photo to black and white and then colorize only one item in the photo.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Some well-known intercultural training activities include "The Parable" and "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes".

"The Parable"

The study of intercultural communication has a rich and interesting history. That's one of the reasons that I study it. There is a long history of government organizations training people to be better intercultural communicators (e.g., diplomats). Out of this training comes some helpful and long-lasting intercultural training exercises. "The Parable" is one of those exercises. Below is the parable as it appeared in a 1973 Unesco document (pdf). Read the story and then rank in order that characters that you most approve of. The person that you approve of at the top and the bottom would be the person that you least approve of.

Research on the best methods of teaching and training in intercultural communication has a long history beginning with the work of anthropologist around the time of World War II. By the 1970s anthropologist lost interest in intercultural interactions and communication scholars carried on the study of intercultural communication. Two of these communication scholars (Gudykunst and Hammer) are among the top prolific authors and most cited authors in the field of intercultural communication (Hammer was my advisor at American University). In one of the articles written by Gudykunst and Hammer they outlined the overall goals of intercultural education or intercultural training (ICT).

"...most ICT involves some form of change in three areas: cognition, affect, and behavior. Cognitively, ICT generally is aimed at helping trainees understand how their culture, stereotypes, and attitudes influence their interactions with members of other cultures. Cognitive ICT goals, therefore, focus on knowledge and/or awareness. Affectively, ICT generally is aimed at helping trainees effectively manage their emotional reactions (e.g., anxiety) when interacting with members of other cultures. Behaviorally, ICT generally is designed to help trainees develop the skills they need to interact effectively with members of other cultures" (Gudykunst, Guzley and Hammer, 1996, p. 65).

In this course we will work on these three goals: cognition, affect and behavior.

First, film may be used in intercultural training. A fictional film which shows intercultural interaction may teach a viewer some facts about another culture and, depending on how well the viewer identifies with the characters in the film, it may also have an emotional or affective effect.

This is a clip that I edited and posted on YouTube. I use this clip in my Intercultural Communication course to introduce students to the difficulties of intercultural communication.

In the clip Jackie's fiancé has just arrived in the U.S.

Is there intercultural miscommunication? What is the problem exactly? Whose fault is it? Is it right to blame somebody?

Some additional types of intercultural training and well-known intercultural training activities will be explored in future posts.

Everett Rogers' Diffusion of InnovationsDiffusion of innovations is “the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system.”(Rogers).

We can hear of about a new technology through face-to-face or through mass-mediated channels and when we do, we may decide to adopt (get, purchase, etc.) that new technology. Adopted any new tech recently?

More and more people in a society may adopt the new technology/innovation and the graph of the number of adoptions will grow (see below).

The graph above shows how people in a society over time adopt an innovation.

At first nobody had a TV in the U.S., but over time...

Any thoughts on why a person adopts of new technology or not?

How does this theory help us understand how media technologies develop? Does it help us understand the future of media technologies?

Winston’s Model of Communication Technology Technology Development

Winston's model explains how media technologies develop from ideas to diffusion. The story begins at the bottom left of the figure and ends at the upper right of the figure.

According to Winston's model a new technology starts (1) as an idea based on science and then (2) develops into early prototypes. As a technology develops it faces some social pressures ((3) does society see a need for it and (4) will powerful competitors or the government attempt to repress the technology?). The technology will then (5) diffuse through a society and may (6) spin-off related technologies.

How does this theory help us understand how media technologies develop? Does it help us understand the future of media technologies?

Let's focus on the development of an early communication technology, the telegraph.

Winston's model can be applied to the telegraph. Did you see the process in the video clip above?

What is Communication?“Human communication is the process through which individuals – in relationships, groups, organizations, and societies – respond to and create messages to adapt to the environment and one another” (Ruben & Steward).

What is Technology?“a design for instrumental action that reduces the uncertainty in the cause-effect relationships involved in achieving a desired outcome”(Rogers).What exactly does that mean? Break it down. Piece by piece."Tech" in the Dictionary: (Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster...)

So, given the above definitions, what is communication technology? Media technology?

OpenClipArt.org

Is a pencil a technology? Is it a communication technology?

There is some interesting communication technologies out there, especially some of the communication technology being developed in other countries. Have you heard of these new communication technologies?

Previously we have noted that when a person or a society adopts an innovations, there are consequences. What are some consequences of adopting social media based on recent research?

Now, let's shift gears, but stay with diffusion of innovations and social media. The adoption of social media has greatly increased in the past decade or so. People have adopted social media more quickly than any other past media technology (radio, TV, etc.). Why? What makes an innovation spread? What makes the rate of adoption increase? What are the key factors according to diffusion of innovation theory? What are the characteristics (or attributes) of an innovation that makes it quickly become adopted?

Specifically, what are the attributes of the innovation that make it spread?

How do these attributes of an innovation apply to the diffusion of social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc.?

Sunday, November 9, 2014

What makes Facebook or Twitter examples of social media? What is social media?

"Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as 'a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.'" (Wikipedia).

So, Web 2.0 has something to do with social media. What is Web 2.0?

"The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies" (Wikipedia)

So, if this is Web 2.0, what was Web 1.0?

How did social media develop/evolve? What is the short history of social media?

Culture can enter conflict in a variety of places as shown in the diagram below.

Now, let's shift gears and look at conflict in a different way, by using a film clip.

This is a clip that I edited and posted on YouTube. I use this clip in my Intercultural Communication course to introduce students to the concept of intercultural competence, especially in conflict situations.

The film clip wasn't about intercultural conflict, but how could you use Nash's idea to resolve intercultural conflict?

The film is based on a true story.Background: JOHN NASH, Princeton math prof., played key role in game theory,
Game theory had important impacts on scholarly thinking in economics, international relations, biology, etc.So, important, Nash won 1994 Nobel Prize

According to the Bennett model, as people gain more intercultural sensitivity, they move through a variety of stages starting with Denial and possibility ending in Integration.

In each stage, people express a certain mindset or way of thinking about cultural differences. The mindset of each stage is expressed in the quotes below. In the first stage what is being denied? In the Defense stage what are defensive about? In the third stage what is being minimized? Continue this line of questions with the remaining stages.

Not that the first three stages are labeled Ethnocentric. How does this relate to our previous definition of ethnocentrism?

Last question and perhaps most important question, what stage are you in? Does that depend? On what?

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